Two State Legislators Pushing for Changes to Absentee Ballot Voting

Two local legislators are pushing for changes to absentee ballot voting. According to MLive, state Rep. Woodrow Stanley and state Sen. Jim Ananich are requesting a hearing on bills that would allow early voting for days prior to an election in hopes of increasing early and absentee voting.

Ananich, who is lead sponsor of the Senate bill, said "busy families should not have less of a chance to participate in our democracy just because they have to juggle job schedules and family commitments. The majority of other states across the country who offer this to their citizens have proven that this is an effective way to securely expand access to the polls for voters."

MLive says Stanley has been pushing for no-reason absentee ballots since 2009 and the National Conference of State Legislatures says 32 states and the District of Columbia offer some form of early voting.